180153 SE Philosophy and Economics Thesis Colloquium (2025S)

The colloquium is assessed through the following components:

1) *Weekly reflections on research progress and methods:* These are marked for completeness, not for "correctness". What matters here is that you have seriously reflected on your research process in the past week. Additionally, intermittently, the colloquium presents you with different tools for writing and research management, and assignments to try out these tools in your thesis writing or research process. These are also marked for completeness, not for "correctness". What matters here is that you give the respective method a try, and reflect on whether and how you will implement it in your work. *Weight: 15%. Deadline: 12 noon on the day of the respective colloquium session.*
2) *Presentation* of your research project and a selected detail from it, live during the colloquium. The presentation should both give an overview of your overall project, and then present one element of it (e.g. an argument or a model) in detail. The presentation should last 15-17 minutes. The presentation should include slides or a handout that your respondent can use to prepare for the response. *Weight: 35%.* *Deadline: These materials need to be uploaded by 12 noon the day before the presentation.*
3) *Response* to a presentation. After the presentation in the colloquium, the respondent briefly explains how they understood the research project, and raises two or more substantive clarificatory questions, critical objections, or suggestions, spelled out in some more detail than is usual for regular comments by the audience. Responses should last 3-4 minutes. *Weight: 15%.*
4) *Chairing* a presentation and discussion. The chair presides over the presentation, response, and discussion, attending to time keeping of the presenter and discussant, managing the queue of audience questions, and keeping within the overall time allocated to the presentation, response, and discussion. *Weight: 15%.*
5) *Thesis proposal:* *Weight: 15%. Deadline: April 30, 23:59.* A two-page thesis abstract that explains the research question and its background, the methods and arguments you will use, any preliminary hypotheses, as well as the project structure. The abstract must follow a set template that will be provided in class.
6) *Peer feedback on thesis abstract:* *Weight: 5%. Deadline: May 15, 23:59.* A brief peer feedback that answers a few questions about a given abstract.

For the thesis proposal, you are permitted to use generative AI such as chatGPT as a supplementary tool to aid you in your writing. If you use such a tool in any step of the writing process, then you must append to your submission a brief explanation of how the technology was used. You are not permitted to use generative AI in any of the weekly tasks, unless this is explicitly stated otherwise.

Undeclared use of the technology is not permitted and is considered academic misconduct. Use of such technology can and must not replace your understanding and well thought-through argumentative engagement. If I am in doubt about the authorship and tools used in a submission, then I may request of any student that they come to an oral examination on their final text, in which they need to explain and defend individual sections of their text.